Tome of the Necromancer, Part 4: The Eye of Argoth
by Artemissan
Summary: Raithe must deal with the effects of one of his spells.


**THE EYE OF ARGOTH**

By: John Brengman

This story is dedicated to Jeff Hysong, Bob Lineman, and Jason Cihonski, who helped make all of Raithe's adventures possible.

**PROLOGUE**

"I, Raithe, of the Vale of Shadow command that a passage between my sanctum and the fortress at Skullcap Mountain be opened!"

"Casiar urbeth, aorti mithas. Sahtim itroa, htebre raisac."

A grain of salt fell to the ground as the magical incantation of the gate spell was muttered.

Too late the dark mage realized his mistake, but the damage was done. He knew that the high level gate spell was risky to attempt at this time; he was not ready, not yet knowledgeable enough in those fields to effectively control the complex spell. Going back through his exact wording, Raithe quickly found his error: "htebre". The spell had been cast correctly and a gate had opened. Somewhere. That somewhere however was not upon Mt. Aorti, the home of Raithe, half-elven mage, practitioner of necromancy (the field of magic that deals with the dead), and ruler of the Empire of the Black Mountain.

The dark one quickly strode across the dimly lit confines of his lab. He approached a clear sphere which sat in its ornate ebony base upon the large oak table. Standing in front of the crystal ball, Raithe softy murmured: "Eye of Arnak, show me the most recently opened gate in this realm."

The crystal ball swirled with the colors of the rainbow. The colors then arranged themselves into a clear picture of a sun-drenched chain of islands that seemed to glisten with radiant magical power.

"Damn," Raithe muttered to himself. "I opened a gate on Ki Neir, at the Hall of Mages." Raithe waited a moment to see where the other end of the gate was. Nothing happened. As he turned away, the picture dissolved into swirling colors which then faded into blackness.

Raithe knew that any gate spell-caused portal that opened on the Ki Neir island chain without the consent of the great wizards, or Lord-Magi as they liked to be called would be dealt with severely.

Raithe then thought of something else. The Eye of Arnak had not shown him the other gate in the portal. That meant that both ends of the gate were in the wrong location, and even worse, that one side of the gate wasn't within the confines of this realm. Unfortunately, Raithe could not discover where the gate was, and therefore he had no idea of how much trouble he would be in once the wizards found that the culprit was one of their most hated enemies. Raithe hoped that his mistake was not too big.

However, a few days later...

**CHPT #1: The Realm of Death**

Raithe sat alone in his study with only a single lit candle and his library of green leather-backed spellbooks to keep him company. His was a solitary life, a lonely life. It had been quite some time since he had been away from Mt. Aorti for any lengthy period of time. There had been too many pressing matters within his realm that required his attention: documents and decrees needed his signature, and dissidents were being ferreted out and being exterminated by the necromancer's undead horde. Spy reports came in every so often from Ki Neir, Gelia, and other lands whose governments would frown on his activities if they got wind of them, and the undead armies of the Empire of the Black Mountain continued to explore the barren wastes of the deserts to the north, while continuing their push into the civilized lands to the south. And through all of this, Raithe remained the man, or half-elf rather, who "walked in death". That aspect of Raithe's character permeated everything he did, and he liked that. He liked the aura of mystery surrounding him. It gained respect from an ally, and it kept an enemy guessing.

Raithe was studying from a book entitled "The Compleat History of the Isle of Ourvak" when he noticed wisps of grey clouds swirling in a column near the center of the room under the domed skylight that illuminated the room only with the light of the stars, since the moon was in its new phase.

The wisps became strands, then thick bands which turned a translucent green. Suddenly there was a flash! When the light died away, a five-foot tall lizard-like being stood in the center of what had been the column of smoke. Wisps of smoke could still be seen as they raced around the circular wall of the study. "A protection spell," Raithe thought, "and a very blatant one at that." Only spells or magical weapons could get through a good protection spell. Raithe didn't have any spells that would protect him from demons since he often did business with them, and his morningstar, which was a magical weapon, was in the weapons room downstairs.

The demon had chubby webbed hands and feet, a scale-covered tail, green reptilian arms and legs, and a snake-like body that was covered with a thin film of mucous-like slime. He had the head of a lizard except that three yellow eyes glared at Raithe menacingly. Raithe knew that it was often advantageous to take the initiative in any talks with demons as it prevented a show of weakness.

"What is your business with me, O great dark one?" Raithe asked.

A raspy voice replied. "Greetings Raithe, of the Vale of Shadow. I am a servant of Argoth, a great demon from the dark planes of the Abyss. I come with an offer from my master."

Raithe's eyebrows went up in interest. "What sort of offer does Argoth have in mind?"

The demon slithered forward. "I refer to the recent opening in the dimensional wall between this world and the Abyss, an opening that you created with your gate spell. Raithe sat back in his chair, reminded of his mistake, and now made aware of the seriousness of it.

"Argoth is attempting to enter this world through the gate that you opened, however the gate did not open completely. Argoth needs your skill to finish opening the gate."

"What's in it for me?" Raithe asked.

"You will finish the gate," the demon replied, "and in return, my master will make you the ruler of Gelia and its environs."

Raithe mulled this over silently. Was ruling a city where almost everyone followed the path of light and where a person of his nature would be hated worth the betrayal of the rest of this world, not to mention any others the demon might be able to get to from here? Finally, Raithe inquired: "How do I know that you will keep your end of the deal? Your master and his kind aren't known for their honesty and trustworthiness."

The demon laughed. "The master will have no need of you after the gate spell is complete. You will be allowed to leave. Also," the reptilian said as he snapped his fingers, "this contract will assure you of our sincerity." An ancient-looking parchment appeared and the demon moved to a nearby table and unrolled it.

"Well," the demon asked when Raithe made no move to the table, "will you sign?"

Raithe walked over to the table. he looked over the document very carefully. He then picked up his ink quill, dipped it in the ink well, then signed his name on the parchment which then immediately disappeared.

"And now for the details," the demon said as Raithe returned to his chair and sat down.

"The gate opened on Ki Neir as you know. Its exact location is in the center of the Hall of Mages. The clerics and mages who follow the path of light want to kill you for opening the gate, but they need you alive in order to reverse the spell. Either process, closing or opening the gate must be done by midnight on the evening when the moon is at its fullest."

"The mages have sent an escort who will take you to Ki Neir. He is an old acquaintance of yours. I believe his name is Lorimar. He should arrive later this evening. With a bow, the demon then disappeared in a burst of flame.

Raithe sat for a while, listening to the wind that howled outside.

"Arion." Raithe whispered.

A shadowy wraith-like figure shimmered into view in front of the dark mage. "Yes master," it said in a quiet death-like voice.

"There will be a visitor in my realm this evening," Raithe stated. "You will tell Melkurion and his troops to guide him safely to the tower. See to it that he is not harmed. He is to be brought to my study and given refreshments if he wants them."

"I will obey your commands, master." The ghost replied. He then vanished back into the shadows from whence he came.

**CHPT #2: Lorimar**

The half-elf Lorimar rode into the dark, desolate town that was nestled to the north of the mountain upon which sat Raithe's fortress castle. "This looks like a partying town," he thought sarcasticly as he looked around at the street in front of him. Very few businesses were open. Most of them had signs hanging from wooden doors which said: "Closed at Dusk". The windows of the houses that lined the street were haphazardly boarded up, leaving gaping holes in the protective wall separating the citizens of the city from the fearsome evil that freely roamed outside at night.

As he looked down the street toward the center of town, he saw the hideous evil manifest itself in the form of human-shaped forms which rode silently on black horses. There were two rows of these beings, one on each side of the street, riding toward the half-elf. As they came closer, Lorimar recognized them as elite undead soldiers, wearing polished armor that had been captured from a major enemy of Raithe's kingdom, a large tribe of orcs that lived in the mountains to the west. At the front of this ghostly procession rode a demon dressed in the garb of Raithe's personal guard, gold armor laced with black. A black sword with a red ruby encrusted hilt was strapped inside a gold scabbard. The demon's handsome male features were betrayed by the orange-red flare of his eyes, a sign of a demon. Lorimar recognized this figure: Melkurion, the demon that had served Raithe since he had been a youth.

The figures following Melkurion were liches, one of the number of undead races that Raithe conscripted his armies from. All of the liches in the kingdom had been touched by the man who "walks in death", and all liches served him.

The demon stopped his horse in front of Lorimar. With his eyes gleaming with an orange fire, Melkurion's hiss-like voice spoke.

"Lorimar, elven traveller and mercenary, we bring you greetings from our master, Raithe of the Vale of Shadow, and ruler of the Empire of the Black Mountain. We are ordered to escort you to our master without delay. Come with us."

Lorimar silently obliged the ghastly demon as it and the rest of the undead soldiers led him up Mt. Aorti to Raithe's stronghold.

Soon the half-elf was seated in an oak chair across from the black-robed figure he sought. Raithe sat at a table near a window through which the city could be seen as it lay sheltered from the southern winds that assaulted the ragged peak of Mt. Aorti.

A roaring fire spewed both light and heat from the fireplace on one side of the room between Raithe and Lorimar. The fireplace was only used when guests were visiting as the dark mage had little use for warmth of any kind.

"Well Raithe," Lorimar quipped, not knowing where to begin, "it's been a long time."

"Yes it has been," came the whispery reply. Under his breath, Raithe muttered, "not long enough."

The mage rolled up a scroll, affixed his personal seal to it, and stood up. As he walked across the room, Lorimar silently held his hand out in a gesture which said, "Let me see that, if I may." Raithe handed the scroll to him. "It's only this month's orders to the people. It was the same last month and the month before." Lorimar read the stark writing on the scroll:

"To all citizens of this empire,"

"There is to be no interference with the affairs of his majesty, or his majesty's officials or soldiers. To disobey this order is to risk a slow and painful death."

"You're a little strict, aren't you?" Lorimar asked.

"Actually," Raithe replied matter-of factly, "I'm not. I allow the citizens of my empire to carry out their own affairs with no threat of punishment. As long as I am not interfered with, the people can do as they please."

"But the place is so deserted."

"The people's own fears and superstitions are what confine them after dark." With that the conversation on that subject ended.

After a long pause, Lorimar spoke. "Well, you really did it this time."

Raithe looked at the half-elf, with his blonde hair that hung to his shoulders, the blue eyes that beckoned almost naively for answers to questions that Raithe didn't feel like answering, the stout elven body dressed in leather armor and loose-fitting green clothing. If Lorimar weren't known as a very competent, sometimes vicious mercenary, Raithe would've thought the half-elf to be a court jester, judging from his almost foppish appearance. Of course, remembering that Lorimar had at one time travelled with a circus only served to reinforce that notion.

"What?" Raithe asked.

"I said, you really did it this time."

"Yes?" Raithe inquired, his right eyebrow rising with curiosity.

"Those wizards over in Ki Neir really have it in for you. Whatever you did was bad enough that a wizard that was travelling on the same ship that I was from Ourvak was contacted telepathicly and ordered to contract my services to track you down and bring you to Ki Neir. And, by the way it sounded, they want you there yesterday."

"Why don't they just teleport me there?"

"They're busy trying to figure out what type of gate spell you used, and they're trying to figure out how much danger they're in from whatever lives in the wherever that's on the other side of the gate. They don't have anyone available with enough power or experience to teleport you halfway around the world."

The dark mage and the mercenary talked about old times for a while and then they gathered up enough supplies for the trip to the coast, where they would find a ship bound for Ki Neir. Once the two half-elves were about to leave, Raithe left both the tower and the kingdom in the capable hands of Melkurion. The pair then left Mt. Aorti.

Soon the elves were riding through the city on horseback, bound for the empire's only seaport, the city of Thranken, which was located about a three day ride to the southwest. For a while, the travellers were followed by a throng of undead that moaned: "Master, don't leave us." Here and there an appendage would fall to the ground as a straggler would slowly wander outside of the invisible sphere of Raithe's personal magical influence. After a while, the dark mage turned his horse around.

"Hear me, my servants," he commanded. "I am embarking on a long voyage and will not need the services of all of you. The elite among you will continue with me. The rest of you are permitted to return to your eternal rest."

The horde of undead was cut down to about twenty with that command, and Raithe, Lorimar, and the liches continued onward to Thranken.

The travellers entered the city of Thranken three days after leaving Raithe's fortress. Thranken was a pariah among the empire's settlements. The city glistened and bustled as people chatted with friends, hammered out business deals, booked passage on one of the many ships in the harbor, or went about doing any number of things. Thranken was the only city in Raithe's empire that he had ordered to be spared contact with the undead that patrolled the surrounding countryside. Raithe's idea was to leave the town pretty much alone so that it could generate a healthy income for the empire's treasury. It also served as Raithe's window to the rest of the world, providing the empire with goods, services, and news from the outside world. To keep the empire's secrets from reaching the outside world, Thranken was also full of Raithe's more subtle spies, those who were not likely to draw attention to themselves.

The people of Thranken virtually ignored the travellers, and only stared in combined awe and horror at the entourage of liches that followed the two elves. Raithe and Lorimar crossed the town and soon arrived at the wharf, where wooden ships of all sizes and nationalities lined a long row of docks. The travellers stopped at a large billboard which showed the names of the ships currently in port.

After a minute, Lorimar touched the billboard. "The 'Whispering Mermaid'", he murmured. "That's the ship we want."

"Under the ownership of the northmen," Raithe stated with disgust in his voice. "Why would Ki Neir contract the services of one who mingles with barbarians?"

"To the wizards,"Lorimar replied, "the important thing is that I bring you to Ki Neir alive. How I do that is my business. I don't give a rat's ass about holes in space or feuds between wizards and barbarians. They're all just a bunch of fools anyway. It doesn't matter whether they have robes and magic, or armor and two-handed swords, they're still fools."

"Those barbarians," Raithe sneered, "have killed a lot of good wizards and have destroyed a lot of magical treasures and devices that were both powerful and priceless, and for what? Their religion shuns magic and those who work with it. They are the true fools."

"You should talk," Lorimar snapped. "How many people have you killed to get what you wanted? How many of those people were innocent of any crime except that of being in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Raithe answered with a question. "How many of my crimes are you also guilty of, mercenary?" He asked, putting emphasis on Lorimar's profession. Lorimar had no answer and simply stared at Raithe coldly for a moment before the two elves started looking for the Whispering Mermaid.

The elves soon found the ship. The vessel was bustling with activity as shiphands worked with the rigging and the masts. Other members of the crew were loading large crates of cargo onto the ship. The ship's captain, a broad-shouldered, muscular man with a long red beard and several scars on his arms was standing proudly at the top of the wooden gangplank that extended from the dock to the ship, inspecting the men and cargo as they passed, and barking out orders to the crew. Raithe, Lorimar, and the liches ascended the gangplank and approached the captain.

"Sir," Lorimar said. "I am on official business from the wizards of Ki Neir. My associate and I want to book passage on your ship. The wizards will pay you when we reach Ki Neir."

"I don't mind you going with us, if you don't mind making a two-day stop at Gelia," the captain's rough voice replied. "I can deal with a wizard on board, as much as I detest them. Money is money. However," he sneered, "I will have nothing to do with undead."

"Captain," Raithe whispered, "I will pay for their passage to Ki Neir if you wish."

"I don't care about the passage money," the captain growled. "I don't want them on my ship, period."

"They are my assistants," Raithe insisted.

"Look," the captain replied. "Either they go, or you go. It's your choice."

Raithe looked downcast. "You're right." He extended his hand. "By the way," he asked pleasantly, "what is your name?"

Caught off guard by the wizard's sudden friendliness, the captain grasped Raithe's hand. "I'm Onrell Diaban, Captain of the 'Whispering Mermaid'."

Venomously, Raithe spoke the key words to his most-used spell: "I'm Raithe. I walk in death!" The incantations of the necromantic Age spell were completed with the utterance of Raithe's deadly phrase. The captain's paralyzed body would continue to age until Raithe broke the spell. Lorimar looked on coldly as Raithe leaned close to his victim.

"You will allow my associates to accompany me to Ki Neir!" The mage growled viciously. "You will give me anything that I require while I am on this ship, and you will take no notice of anything I do while on this journey!" Raithe broke his grasp on the young (now about ten years older) captain's hand.

"I hope you understand me now," the dark mage said threateningly.

"Yes," stammered the captain.

"Good." Raithe bowed mockingly. "The ship is yours, captain."

**CHPT #3: The Voyage**

As the travellers went to their rooms which were below decks, Lorimar said, "I don't see why you had to do that."

Raithe turned suddenly and faced Lorimar, drawing his gaze. The necromancer snarled: "Don't you dare moralize to me, you hypocrite! If I do something, it's because I want to do it, and no one had better question me!" Lorimar stood mesmerized by the dark mage's eyes.

"if you ever criticize me again, I'll kill you where you stand." Raithe turned and started to walk down the hall. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at the still hypnotized Lorimar. "Or in your sleep." Raithe then snapped his fingers, breaking the spell and continued to walk down the hallway.

The liches "died" three days later at sea.

**ABOUT ONE WEEK LATER:**

Since the journey from Thranken to Gelia had taken two long uneventful weeks, some members of the crew met in the largest galley on the ship the night before making port in Gelia for a card game. Raithe and Lorimar also attended the game. All of the players sat around the large wooden table, and all of them except Raithe chatted excitedly among themselves until the captain entered the room and sat down at the head of the table. He then brought out a deck of cards and started to shuffle them.

The rectangular cards were numbered from 2 to Ace, and a deck consisted of 54 cards, two jokers, and 13 cards separated into four suits: the sword of Ourvak, the Eye of Ki Neir, the Hand of the Shadow, and the Crown of Gelia.

The captain's favorite game was poker, so that's what the evening's activities started with. The cards skidded across the smooth table to eager hands that immediately hid them in secrecy. Suspicious eyes watched for those that wandered. All of the players tossed two silver coins into the center of the table.

"Mr. Zall," the captain said, "your play."

The fat, squinty-eyed first mate put two cards down on the table after tossing another two silver coins on the table. "Two," he said roughly.

Next the helmsman asked for two cards, Raithe quietly asked for three, Lorimar asked for one, and the ship's cook held up two fingers as he sloppily chugged away on a mug of ale.

The captain dealt more cards to replace those discarded, and then gave himself a couple. All this time, betting and counter-betting had produced a large pile of silver and gold coins in the center of the table.

The captain was the last to bet. Leaning back, he said, "Mr. Zall, you will show me your cards." The other crewmembers smiled. This game happened quite often.

"No sir," Zall replied. "I won't"

"Mr. Zall," the captain replied, this time a little louder, "I order you to show me your cards."

"Blow your order out your rear," Zall replied, knowing that this was the only time he could get away with such a remark.

"All right, you weak-spined fool," the captain said as he grinned, apparently thwarted in his attempt at cheating. "I know that I have a better hand than you anyway..."

The captain's badgering went around the table, ignoring Raithe, until Zall said: "Can we get on with this?" The captain glared at him and then tossed his bet into the pile.

Finally the cards were revealed. Zall frowned; he had a pair of sixes, the helmsman had three jacks. Raithe's hand drew murmurs from the other players; he had four queens. Lorimar sighed. "You beat me," he said, not bothering to show his cards. He sullenly tossed them into the discard pile.

The cook grinned as he showed his hand, a straight flush, and he started to drag his sizeable winnings toward him.

The games continued into the early morning, and the cook continued to win. No one seemed to mind, except Raithe, whose silvery eyes glimmered with anger as he continued to build strong hands, only to loose at the slightly stronger hands of the cook.

Finally, Raithe angrily excused himself and stormed out of the room. No one really missed him.

**JUST BEFORE SUNRISE:**

Raithe quietly entered the dimly-lit room and closed the door behind him. He then approached the bed of the ship's cook. The cook's pudgy form was laying face-down and motionless on the bed. The sea roared outside the porthole, drowning out any noise that the deadly necromancer made, and the cook continued to sleep soundly.

As Raithe drew near to the cook, he stepped on a board that creaked loudly. The cook, now awakened, stealthily reached under his pillow and drew his knife. He then quickly spun upward, his knife poised to stab at the intruder. Raithe however, had known that he had lost the element of surprise and he had seen the cook's hand as it slid under the pillow for his knife. As the cook went to stab Raithe, the elf quickly grabbed the attacking arm and held it in the air.

"Why did you cheat on me?" Raithe snarled. "You know you can never cheat Death and win!" With that, the man began to die from the contact-based Age spell that he had placed on his hand before entering the room. Deep pockets of age quickly formed around the doomed man's eyes. His skin shriveled and he tried to scream, but no sound came out. "I am Raithe!" The necromancer sneered. "I am Death!" Within a minute, the cook was nothing more than a collection of brown colored powder and bone shards.

Raithe looked for the cook's moneybag, which he found under the bed. He then gathered up the remains of the cook. After opening the porthole, he tossed the cook out of the circular window, where his remains were quickly scattered by the morning breeze and the gently rolling waves.

The captain was touring the deck of his ship just as the sun was rising. He was happy for the first time in days. By the end of today, the ship would make port in Gelia for a two-day stop on the way to Ki Neir. He could be rid of that troublesome elf, if only for a day or two. Maybe he would be arrested by the town police. Gelia was known as a lawful city, and such a city would not tolerate the antics of a half-elven necromancer who openly used the dead as slaves and who had attempted to kill a man. Maybe, the captain thought, he could push this little line of events along a bit. He sighed contentedly at that prospect.

As the captain turned to walk to the aft section of the ship on the port side, he looked down along the hull of his ship and saw a porthole opening. Curiosity got the best of him, and he was therefore staring straight at the porthole as puffs of dust were emitted along with the half-dissipated odor of humanity. The captain frowned and continued walking.

**CHPT #4: Gelia**

Raithe walked through the darkness of night along the narrow streets of the city of Gelia. Except for the most squalid area of town, the entire city reeked of the forces of law, and the wizards of Ki Neir, who had a tremendous influence in Gelia, had put the word out on the dark mage. Now the city guards were looking for him so that he could be taken in all haste, and almost certainly in chains to Ki Neir. The necromancer had noticed a poster on a wall offering five platinum pieces for his capture. Thankfully, he had stolen a lot more than that from the cook. It might come in handy in case a buy off was necessary.

So the dark mage was walking toward the shop of the one man in Gelia that he could trust, a seer. Once Raithe arrived at the seer's shop, he quickly went inside.

The shop was filled with books. Leather-bound volumes filled a shelf behind a long table. Books were also stacked on the floor and along the walls. The shop was a vast repository of knowledge. Shuffling sounds could be heard in the next room. Raithe crossed the main room, and moved up a flight of three steps which led into another book-filled room to investigate. He then saw an aged figure leaning on a short cane and gazing into a huge crystal ball that rested in a brass base on the floor.

"Hello, Raithe." The seer said in a cackle-like voice, without turning around. He knew that sort of thing always bothered the wizard.

"Hello my friend," Raithe replied, the annoyance showing in his voice.

"Don't play the injured mage with me," the seer snapped as he slowly turned around. "Surely you know that I would know that you would be coming to see me when the Whispering Mermaid arrived. I know I have a flair for the dramatic, but in my old age, that's the only way I can entertain myself. I knew you would be coming as soon as I found out about your rather foolish attempt to open one of the most complex gate spells in known existence, and I was even more convinced that you'd show up when I found out about all the ruckus that gate has caused in Ki Neir and here in Gelia.

Raithe suddenly wondered if it had been a good idea to come to his old friend's shop. After all, friends do change, and...

The seer sighed as if Raithe's worries were beneath him. "You know better than to think I'd turn you in," the seer replied to Raithe's unspoken worries. ESP was another thing that unnerved the dark mage.

"Why are you here?" The seer asked, but before Raithe could answer, he exclaimed, "Wait! Let me guess!" He then smiled at the angry look on Raithe's face, and the seer's amused look only angered the wizard more.

"Let's see... You came here to elude capture, which you could've just as easily done on board the ship, except for the complications of a captain who suspects you of murdering one of his crewmen..."

"Stop reading my mind!" Raithe ordered.

"...you want to know what's going on in Ki Neir. Well, the deadline for you to either open or close the gate is drawing near, and the wizards there have just figured out how much trouble they're in. One of the wizards checked out the gate and found out the hard way just whose Abyss they're hooked up to, thanks to you. Chancellor Zorn hasn't been seen since, and he has almost certainly been killed."

"I thought the gate wasn't open."

"It's open as a far as a human is concerned. To a demon the size of Argoth however, it's a different story."

Leaning over the cane, the seer now peered at Raithe intently.

"Why Raithe," he asked. "Why did you do it?"

"The gate spell?"

"Don't play dumb with me Raithe, you don't do it very well! You and I both know that you're not that stupid, at least not yet. But damn it, you're also not a Lord-Magi yet!" The seer paused to catch his breath. Then: "Why did you attempt a spell that only a Lord-Magi would be able to complete correctly, and then only a very experienced Lord-Magi at that?"

"I have my reasons."

"Yeah," the seer replied with sudden disgust. "You wanted to show off. Well do the world a favor. Next time you decide to show off, don't! Whenever Raithe of the Vale of Shadow decides to show off, the entire world gets into trouble."

The aged seer sat down in a nearby chair and motioned Raithe to sit across from him, which he did.

"Well," the seer stated. "What is past is past, and it can't be changed...at least, not by any normal means."

"I guess you know about my deal with Argoth."

"Another stupid move. You know that Argoth and his kind never take their promises seriously. You can be sure that he will try to double-cross you at the first opportunity."

The seer then looked around as if he was straining to hear something. Raithe could hear nothing.

"There's someone coming." The seer said. "It's a patrol of the city guard. They've been alerted to your presence in this shop."

"I don't hear anything." Raithe replied.

"Trust me like you do in everything else. They are coming. You must leave, but before you go, I need to tell you something important."

"Remember that just as your mistake has had big consequences for the world, so will the end of this matter have big consequences for you and everyone else in this world. This is a heavy responsibility to bear alone, but it is one you and you alone have to bear whether you like it or not."

After that, Raithe quickly went to the back door and stepped out into the darkness of night. As the necromancer turned up the alley and started up the hill, he heard shouts behind him, where the alley met a side street. He quickened his pace and turned into a cul-de-sac which was filled with the bustle of capitalism at its best. The alcove was filled with merchants whose small tents and displays were lit by candlelight. A few customers were browsing over the wares presented by the various merchants.

Raithe went over to a moneychanger. The young man was wearing a yellow robe with coins embroidered into his sleeves. His brown hair flowed to his shoulders, and his dark eyes stared at Raithe intently as the death mage approached. A rather large mole on his right cheek danced as he spoke.

"May I help you, sir?" He inquired.

"I need a place to hide," Raithe replied quietly so that no one else could hear.

"From whom?"

"A patrol of the city guard that is following me." Some coins changed hands. The merchant's eyes widened in disbelief at the coins and then showed Raithe into his tent. The mage went inside, sat down, and then waited, alert for any sign of danger.

Soon the guards came. The captain of the guards ordered a couple of his troops to continue the search up the alley while he and the other two soldiers went to question the merchants.

The soldiers were big, brawny, and muscular. All three of them had dark hair, dark moustaches, and brown eyes, and all of them wore bright red robes over their armor, designating them as the elite guard of the city. The crest of the city of Gelia was branded on each guard's breastplate, and longswords hung from silver scabbards at each man's waist. The soldiers fanned out and started to mingle with the few customers there were, looking around, searching for their black-robed prey. Once the other guards returned, the patrol gave up the search and continued up the alley toward the top of the hill.

Raithe then came out of the tent, thanked the moneychanger and gave him some more gold coins. He then went to the alley and turned south, walking quickly to the wharf.

The Whispering Mermaid set sail for Ki Neir later that evening since the crew had worked hard to unload their cargo and to take on cargo that was bound for Ki Neir or points further so that the ship could perhaps arrive early in the wizard's stronghold. The reason was unknown to the crew.

**CHPT #5: Argoth**

The Whispering Mermaid sailed gracefully into the harbor of the wizard's stronghold, located on the chain of islands called Ki Neir. The busy harbor was full of the bright colorful sails of privately own sailing ships, the wide sails of other merchant ships, or the dark blue sails of the ships belonging to the navy of Ki Neir. Large flocks of seagulls flew in the blue skies over the harbor, and the sun reflected brilliantly off of the inland sea. The large city that had grown up near the wizard's fortress was sheltered by a graceful range of mountains that crowded close to the shore. To any visitor, except Raithe, it was no wonder that this harbor was considered to be the most beautiful in the world.

On one particularly large mountain, a white tower protruded, its golden-plated spire pointing straight up from a point about halfway up the massive peak. Raithe silently studied the harbor, the city, the mountains, and the tower, which he knew contained not even a minuscule portion of the gigantic wizard enclave that had been carved into the innards of the giant mountain. From his vantage point at the bow of the ship, the death mage could see the ever-present bustle of merchants on the shore, some with their wares in small wagons, or in woven baskets on the backs of mules or atop human heads. At the wharf, large crates were being carried off other merchant vessels, and soon laborers were hauling crates from the hold of the Whispering Mermaid.

Raithe gathered his few belongings and quickly left the ship with Lorimar. The travellers had barely gotten off the ship when they were surrounded by ten white-robed men holding long spears.

Raithe looked at Lorimar, who quickly averted his gaze from his companion and his job as a mercenary and escort were suddenly thrust back into the center stage of Raithe's mind.

"So Lorimar, you have proved your worthlessness," Raithe said calmly. "Not only did you use the Whispering Mermaid to come to my empire, but you also informed the wizards that we would be using that same ship on the return trip."

The death mage looked around at his captors, knowing that if he extended the range of his Age spell, he could kill them all, including the inept Lorimar. However, the necromancer realized that the murder of these people would only bring more guards, and possibly seal his own fate in the process. Remembering that keeping a calm head had gotten him out of many a similar situation, Raithe asked, "Will we be going to the Hall of Mages, or will we die of age first?"

One of the guards began to concentrate.

"He's a mage," Raithe thought. The city began to fade out of existence. A soft white light that sickened Raithe with the sensations of the forces of law which opposed evil and chaos took the place of the disappearing city. Raithe lost consciousness under the stench of law and the effects of the guard's Sleep spell.

Raithe awakened in an ornately tiled room which he recognized as the waiting room outside the Hall of Mages. The cylindrical-shaped room was completely tiled in small squares of black or white crystal which were arranged into pictures or shapes. The ceiling was covered by a dark blue "sky" which showed the battle between the forces of good and evil, "with good winning as always," Raithe thought. "How ironic that the next battle is about to occur in the next room, and that I may destroy the farce that surrounds the wizards of Ki Neir and their pretty little world." At that moment, a door at the far end of the room opened and a young girl stepped into the room. She quickly closed the door behind her and approached the death mage.

With her eyes betraying no emotion, her voice said, "Raithe, half-elven Archmage from the Vale of Shadow, ruler of the Empire of the Black Mountain, the black champion of Ourvak...," she went on describing Raithe's titles and accomplishments as was the custom of the mages when someone was to enter their greatest of shrines, the Hall of Mages. The girl ended with: "lord of the undead hosts, and champion of the black shroud of darkness, you are given permission to enter the Hall of Mages and address the Lord-Magi Aramaetheus. The girl then left the room through another door, this one located across from the entrance to the Hall of Mages.

Raithe stood up and walked quickly to the entrance to the Hall of Mages. Opening the door, he stepped inside.

The Hall of Mages was almost an exact replica of the waiting room that raithe had been in except for a few differences. A red carpet ran from the entrance to a throne which sat with its back to the far wall. The room was taller than the waiting room, and the extra space was used for a balcony. "At least," Raithe thought, "that's how it should look." It didn't.

The Lord-Magi Aramaetheus was not sitting on his throne as he normally would be if he were accepting visitors. The reason for this was that the gate to the Abyss hovered in the space in front of the throne. The Lord-Magi was preparing spell components at a table to the right of the carpet. When he looked up and saw Raithe, he hastily masked a look of anger and disgust and instead, the Lord Magi approached the dark mage saying, "I'm glad you are here. We have work to do."

The gate looked like a large hole in the room through which could be seen the formlessness that was the Abyss. Clouds of different colored gas floated past and through the gate and lightning bolts going every-which-way could be seen through the gate almost continuously. A howling wind blew through the gate, rustling the robes of the two men.

"Let's get started," the Lord-Magi said. "I've prepared the spell components that you'll need: a grain each of salt, pepper, and sugar. The only thing needed is a drop of your blood to make the spell permanent."

Raithe took the vials containing the grains of salt, pepper, and sugar. Approaching the gate, the necromancer started the spell. Both the close and open spells were the same in this regard: "Rembar, thieme, norstavk, zalku!" Raithe shouted.

The grain of sugar fell to the ground. The lightning increased in frequency and intensity, and bolts shot out of the gate, scorching the walls of the proud hall. A voice came from the void.

"RAITHE, I AM WAITING. OPEN THE GATE, SO THAT I MAY ENTER!"

Aramaetheus, hearing the demon's words, ran up to Raithe. Grabbing his shoulder, the Lord-Magi yelled, "NO! You must close that gate, or that thing will destroy us all!"

Raithe quickly jerked away from the older man's grasp. "Get away!" He growled, "you'll break the spell."

Not knowing whether to continue his interference or not, Aramaetheus stood by helplessly as the fate of the world flowed into the hands of one man.

Raithe continued the spell incantations, straining to remember the words he needed: "Kykliu, handrem, wondferi, freigas!"

The demon was now at the gate, and raithe soon found that most demons emulate their masters in appearance, only their masters are far more horrible. A row of horns crowned the head of the demon Argoth, and fangs protruded downward evilly from his upper jaw. The face and head of this dreaded demon had no flesh on it. The skull of a giant reptile peered out of the Abyss at Raithe. Argoth was waiting. Argoth was also hungry for the feast of souls that was waiting for him on the other side of the gate.

"RAITHE, OPEN THE GATE LIKE YOU PROMISED TO. OBEY YOUR AGREEMENT!"

Aramaetheus rushed forward again and grabbed Raithe's arm. Whirling, Raithe threw the mage away. "Damn you, get back! You call yourself a mage, but you are a fool!" Hoping the Lord-Magi possessed even the rudiments of telepathy, Raithe thought: "Trust me." Aramaetheus simply stood up and watched, giving Raithe no clue as to whether he had heard the death mage's silent message.

"RAITHE! OPEN THE GATE! OPEN IT NOW!"

Now the spell would change.

"I Raithe, of the Vale of Shadow command that the passage between the eternal Abyss and the Hall of Mages on Ki Neir...be closed!." The grain of pepper fell to the tile floor.

"NO!" The demon shrieked. A bolt of pure energy burst from his eyes. Streaking through the air, it hit Raithe in the upper chest, sending him flying back into the far wall. The remaining energy reverberated through the floor, enveloping Aramaetheus. The table and the empty vials on it exploded, sending shards of glass into the Lord-Magi, who then fell to the floor.

"YOU LIAR!" Argoth screamed at the now unconscious death mage. "YOU FILTHY ELVEN LIAR! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS WITH YOUR VERY SOUL! YOU WILL LIVE TO CURSE THE DAY YOU CROSSED ARGOTH, GREAT DEMON OF THE PLANES OF THE ABYSS! I'LL TORTURE YOUR SOUL..." All during the demon's angry oratory at the fate of a subject who could no longer hear him, the gate shrunk until it disappeared from the world. Unfortunately for Argoth, the demon had gotten part of an appendage through the gate before it closed, and the resultant screams of the demon as the closing gate severed the errant portion of demon flesh and bone was enough to give anyone nearby shivers for the rest of the day. As for Raithe...

Because of his actions, the wizards of Ki Neir decided to allow the death mage to live. Those who favored his death were reminded that Raithe had made an enemy of a very powerful demon. The objecting mages then sat back, each happily contemplating the day when Argoth and Raithe would meet again

Raithe was not the same person he was when he came to Ki Neir as he lay in the cleric's ward recovering from the demon's attack. His skin was noticeably shriveled. He needed a cane because of damage done to his spine, and his hair had grayed. The most pronounced change however was noticed when the dark mage fell off the bed and in between tantrums of swearing, told the clerics that he could not see anything. Raithe was blind.

**EPILOGUE:**

"Tell me my friend," Raithe asked the seer, "what would've happened if I had opened the gate for Argoth?"

"Well," the seer replied, looking into the eyes of the necromancer, the eyes that were sightless, but could "see", "you would now be the ruler of Gelia, but you would also be known as 'Raithe the Betrayer'. Sooner or later, either there would be a violent revolution against you, led by paladins and wizards of the forces of light, or Argoth would go back on his word. Either way, you would die, a very hated and despised person, something I don't think you could live with."

"I do things for my own reasons," Raithe said coldly. "I don't give a damn about this world, or any of the people in it."

"Then why didn't you let Argoth in?"

"I didn't want him here."

"Well, you paid a high price for your actions. You are no longer as strong physically as you were, and Argoth is now an eternal enemy of both you and any students or followers you have now or will obtain in the future."

"But," the seer said. "I understand you. You may never admit it, but your heart is truly the heart of the world. You believe in true balance, and you do not care about your personal reputation. That is good for the world." He paused. "The world may not like you, but you will always have a place in it."

The mage had no reply at all.

**THE END**


End file.
